Republicans Attack Steele Over Afghan-War Comments

WASHINGTON—Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele faced calls for his resignation from within his own party Friday after he described the war in Afghanistan as "a war of Obama's choosing" and suggested the U.S. mission there is unwinnable.

His remarks were made at a RNC fund-raiser in Noank, Conn., Thursday and posted shortly afterward on YouTube. "This was not something that the U.S. had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in," he stated, adding that the mission in Afghanistan may be futile.

ENLARGE

Michael Steele faces calls to quit.
Associated Press

"Everyone who has tried, over a thousand years of history, has failed and there are reasons for that. There are other ways you could engage in Afghanistan," he said.

Mr. Steele walked backed his remarks Friday, saying he supported the troop surge in Afghanistan as well as Gen. David Petraeus, President Barack Obama's new commander for the Afghanistan operation. "The stakes are too high for us to accept anything but success in Afghanistan," he said.

The White House had no comment on Mr. Steele's remarks, but the reaction among some conservatives in the Republican Party was swift and unfavorable: Mr. Steele should resign.

Influential conservative commentator William Kristol called for Mr. Steele's resignation in a column posted on The Weekly Standard's website. "There are, of course, those who think we should pull out of Afghanistan, and they're certainly entitled to make their case. But one of them shouldn't be the chairman of the Republican Party," Mr. Kristol wrote.

Erick Erickson, founder of the popular conservative blog RedState.com, called for Mr. Steele to resign because he "has lost all moral authority to lead the GOP."

Mr. Steele's comments were not only ill-timed coming ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend and as the 2010 election campaigns heat up. They were also made just as Gen. Petraeus takes over command of the U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization operation and as Congress debates a bill to fund the war.

Brad Woodhouse, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, used a familiar GOP talking point to criticize Mr. Steele: the notion that questioning the commander-in-chief or the mission was harmful to U.S. troops. "It's simply unconscionable that Michael Steele would undermine the morale of our troops when what they need is our support and encouragement," Mr. Woodhouse said.

"I don't get involved in political debates, but I don't think there is any doubt among the American people why we are in Afghanistan after what happened to us from there on 9/11," said Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell.

Friday's controversy was the latest in a rocky tenure for Mr. Steele at the helm of the national party committee, a post he was elected to in January 2009. He has repeatedly raised the ire of some in the party for both his style and stewardship.

Mr. Steele weathered calls for his resignation earlier this year over disclosures that party funds were spent at a risqué Los Angeles area nightclub. Mr. Steele was not personally involved, and staff members who were involved were fired. Mr. Steele's current two-year term expires in January.

As of late Friday, Republican congressional leaders had remained quiet on Mr. Steele. A spokeswoman for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), a prominent GOP voice on the war, said the senator would likely address the matter when he appeared on CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday.

Corrections and Amplifications

Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse said that Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele's comments on the Afghanistan war put him "at odds with about 100 percent of the Republican Party." The quote was incorrectly attributed to conservative commentator William Kristol in an earlier version of this article.

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